Ice tray grid



Aug. 2, 1955 Filed May 18, 1955 A. J. FREl ICE TRAY GRID 2 Sheets-Sheet l JNVENTOR. Arthur J. Frei His Attorney Aug. 2, 1955 A. J. FREI 2,714,294

ICE TRAY GRID Filed May 18, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. Arthur J. Frei His Attorney Unite tates atent face gen!

ICE TRAY can) Arthur J. Frci, Dayton, Ghio, assignorto General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich, a corporation of Delaware Application May 18, 1953, Serial No. 355,652

3 Claims. (Cl. 62-14%.5)

This invention relates to ice trays and particularly to grids therefor as employed in household refrigerators.

The present application represents improvements in the art and specifically improvements and novel features over the devices disclosed in my copending applications S. *1. 182,499, filed August 31, 1950, entitled Freezing Tray, and S. N. 292,897, field lune ll, 1952, entitled Freezing Pan, now patents numbered 2,642,726 and 2,642,727, respectively, both issued lune 23, 1953.

in the 1past ice trays and grids have been constructed so thatice blocks frozen in the trays and bonded to walls of a grid therein would be released from the grid walls during removal of the grid from a tray or released from the grid walls after the grid had been removed from a tray. ln order to accomplish such ice block release, mechanical means has been provided to movecertain of the grid walls relative to other of the walls thereof to cause the bond between ice blocks and their compartment walls to be broken whereafter the ice blocks would slide downwardly out of the bottom of the grid. This has not been entirely satisfactory because in attempting to remove only a few or the desired number of ice blocks for immediate use other-:of the ice blocks slide from the grid into the tray and interfere with or render it very difiicult to replace the gridand ice blocks remaining therein into the tray. The operator thereupon becomes perturbed and usually removes the interfering ice blocks and throws them into the sink thus resulting in waste of ice blocks when only a few .are desiredto be harvested. it has been found tobe more satisfactory and practical to retain ice blocks in their respective compartments of .a grid, after they have been loosened from their movable compartment walls, and to harvest the desired number of loosened blocks for immediate use from the grid by pushing them upwardly out of their compartments from beneath the grid. A relalively simple grid construction can be designed to accom- .plish the retaining .ot' loosened ice blocks in their compartments when a grid structure includes a single longi' tudinal wall only. However in a grid structure, for certain customers who desire more and/or smaller ice blocks, wherein two or more longitudinal partitioning walls are incorporated in the grid to provi e three .or more longitudinal rows of ice blocks, the problem of retaining .loosened ice blocks in their respective compartments is increased.

.An object of my invention is to provide an improved substantially inflexible movable wall grid structure for disposition in and unitarily removable from an ice tray with .anovel arrangement forbarvesting a few ice blocks there- .fronizfor immediateuse andfor preventing other ice blocks loosened from the grid walls from sliding out the bottom of the grid whereby the grid together with the loosened ice blocks remaining or retained therein can be readily replaced in the 'tray and returned to the evaporator or freezing Zone provided therefor in a household refrigera- .tor-cabinet.

Another object of my invention is toprovide anarrangermenttof two longitudinal walls in a grid structure for an ice tray whereby these walls will, without the aid ofaddi; tional means, retain ice blocks loosened from the grid walls in a central rowof ice block formingcompartments .to thereby necessitate removal of the loosened ice blocks from the grid in adirection upwardly thereof.

A further objectof my invention is to provide in grid 'ture for disposition a freezing tray, having-a secii longitudinal wall including a lower partitioning wall member, an intermediate wall member disposed in the same upright plane with said lower member, an upper element and a plurality of tiltable partitioning walls extending transversely across said longitudinal wall, 'a'means for locking the intermediate member against lengthwise movement relative to the lower member which means is positioned so as to be laterally adjacent one of the transverse walls when the same is tilted for preventing the intermediate member from slipping out of the upright plane of the lower member.

A still further and more specific object of my invention is to provide a unitary rigid movable wall-grid structure adapted to be removably disposed in an ice tray with a lever pivotally mounted upon a means which holds longitudinal walls of the grid stationary with respect to one another and to connect links pivotally carried by the lever with a transverse wall at anend of the grid so as to apply the initial force created by movementof the lever directly to this one transverse wall to tilt the same and to connect operating elements associated with each longitudinal wall with this one transverse wall for engaging and tilting other of the transverse wallsone after the other in succession as determined by the amount of tilting of the end transverse wall.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred form of the present invention is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a liquid freezing device comprising a tray and a grid positioned therein constructed in accordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the grid showing the tray in section;

Figure 3 is a view of the grid removed from the tray and showing walls of the grid moved to loosen ice blocks within their respective compartments;

Figure 4 is a transverse vertical sectional view of the device taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 2 showing the interlocking connection between walls of the grid;

Figure 5 is a transverse vertical sectional view taken on the line 5-5 of Figure 2 showing the one transverse wall at the lever end of the grid;

Figure 6 is a side view of parts of the grid showing an intermediate member of a longitudinal wall thereof being assembled into the structure;

Figure 7 is a view of one of the transverse walls of the grid showing ice block retaining means along its side edges; and

Figure 8 is a fragmentary sectional view taken from Figure 3 on a line intermediate the two longitudinal walls of the grid showing loosened ice blocks in the central row of compartments retained therein after the grid walls have been moved.

Referring to the drawings for illustrating and describing various features of construction embodied in the present grid structural have shown my improved liquid freezing device as comrising a metal ice tray 10 having side walls 11 inclined outwardly from the bottom to the top thereof (see Figures 1 and 4)), 'a bottom wall 12 and opposed outwardly inclined end walls 13 and 14. The tray 10 has a unitary metal grid structure, generally represented by the reference character 15, removably disposed therein. Grid 15 includes two sectional horizontally spaced apart longitudinal partitioning walls 16 and 17 and a plurality of rigid single thickness partitioning Walls 18 extending transversely across the longitudinal walls in spaced apart relation along the length thereof (see Figure l) to provide three longitudinal rows of ice block forming compartments 19. The transverse walls 18 are mounted upon and loosely interlocked with the longitudinal walls for tilting movement relative thereto. Each longitudinal wall 16 and 17 includes a lower partitioning wall member 21, an intermediate wall member 22, disposed in the same upright plane with lower member 21 (see Figure 4), and an upper movable element 23. Intermediate wall members 22 are located within a depression provided in the upper edge portion of lower wall members 21. It is to be noted that the longitudinal partitioning walls 16 and 17 or at least the members 21 thereof are inclined out wardly away from one another from the bottom to the upper part thereof (see Figures 4 and 5) for a purpose to be hereinafter described. Each of the transverse partitioning walls 18 are provided with oppositely inclined elongated openings 26 (see Figure 7) and each opening 26 has a small lateral offset portion 2'7 for a purpose to be described. All of the transverse walls 18, except the one at the lever end of grid 15, have the lower portion of their side edges flanged or formed forwardly to provide tabs 29 for a purpose to also be hereinafter described. Members 21 each have spaced apart slots 31 extending upwardly from their bottom edge. The lower member 21 of each longitudinal wall 16 and 17 is also slit and bent laterally to provide a plurality of spaced apart ears 33 the purpose of which will become apparent hereinafter. The intermediate members 22 of grid are inset in a depression or a cutaway part at the upper edge of lower members 21 to prevent lengthwise movement of a member 22 relative to its associate member 21. These intermediate members 22 are provided with a downwardly extending projection 36 which registers with and fits into a recess 37 provided in the upper edge portion of the depression in lower members 21. Movable elements 23 are each provided with open notches 39 suitably spaced along the upper edge thereof to loosely receive continuous portions of the transverse walls 18 above the elongated openings therein (see Figures 2 and 4). The notches 39 are progressively wider than one another from one end to the other end of members 23. That is when the grid is assembled the rear wall of notch 39 at the lever end of the grid is in engagement with the plain transverse wall while the rear wall of other of the notches are progressively spaced a greater distance from the cross wall 18 fitting therein. Elements 23 are interlocked with each of transverse walls 18 and are unattached to a lever provided on the grid. The one transverse wall at the lever end of grid 15 is devoid of the side lips 29 and has the upper end of the elongated openings 26 therein widened, as at 41 (see Figure 5), for the reception of a notched end 42 of each of a pair of links 43. The other end 44 of each of the pair or": links 43 is pivotally mounted to a stamped metal lever 46 by a metal pin or stud 47. This lever 46 has spaced apart legs 48 (see Figure 1) pivotally mounted upon a pin or stud 49 extending between and located in suitable holes provided in an upturned end portion 51 of each of the members 21. Pin or stud 49 holds the members 21, and consequently members 22, of the longitudinal partitioning walls 16 and 17 of grid 15 stationary against movement relative to one another. Each cross or transverse partitioning wall 18 which underlies hand operated lever 46, when in its down or normal position. has the central upper edge cut away at 52, as best shown in Figure 7, to permit lever 46 to lie flush with the upper edges of the cross walls as shown in Figure 2 of the drawings. The one transverse wall at the lever end of grid 15 has its top edge surface extended straight out to the sides thereof (see Figure 5) to provide a fiat support for facilitating stacking of the trays one upon another.

Assembly The parts of grid 15 may be assembled to one another as follows. Cross or transverse walls 18 are held in a fixture and the end opposite the raised end 51 of lower members 21 of the longitudinal partitioning walls are pushed through the elongated openings 26 in the cross walls 18. The ears 33 on wall members 21 are at this time aligned with the laterally ofiset portions 27 of openings 26 in walls 18 and freely pass therethrough. Wall members 21are then lowered within openings 26 so that the slots 31 along the bottom edge of member 21 straddle the continuous portions of transverse walls 13 immediately below the opening 26 therein (see Figure 4). This lowering of wall members 21 moves the ears 33 thereon downwardly beyond the lateral offset portions 27 of openings 26 in transverse walls 18 (see Figure 4) whereupon the ears 33 form stops to locate transverse walls 18 parallel to one another in a normally inclined position relative to the vertical (see Figure 2). With the longitudinal partitioning Wall members 21 lowered to the position described and shown in Figure 6 there is ample space between the edge of the depression in the top of members 21 and the upper part of openings 26 in cross walls 18 for the reception of the raised portions, adjacent the notches 39, on movable or actuating elements 23. Thus the elements 23 may now be pushed through the openings 26 in the cross or transverse walls 18 and raised within these openings to cause the notches 39 to straddle the continuous portions of walls 13 immediately above the openings 26 therein. The space in openings 26 of the plurality of spaced apart cross walls 13 between elements 23 and lower wall mem' bers 21 is now to be filled or taken up by the intermediate longitudinal members 22. Therefore the end of intermediate members 22, opposite end end thereof provided with the projection 36, is fed through openings 26 in cross walls 18 (see Figure 6). As the projection 36 on members 22 approaches or is brought toward the recess 37 in members 21 these intermediate members 22 are bowed slightly to permit the end thereof and projection 36 thereon to clear and slide past the end portion of members 21 so that the projections 36 register with recesses 37. This end of intermediate members 22 is then sprung into the same upright plane with wall members 21 whereupon the projections 36 enter and snugly fit in the recesses 37 to provide means for locking or preventing lengthwise movement of the intermediate members 22 relative to the lower wall members 21. This locking means, projections 36 and recesses 37, is positioned immediately in front of the transverse wall at the lever end of the grid (see Figures 2 and 6) and when this wall is tilted toward the vertical it overlaps or is laterally adjacent to the projections 36 (see Figure 3) to prevent, due to the looseness of the connection between various parts of grid 15, intermediate members 22 from slipping out of the upright plane of lower wall members 21. The notched end 42 of links 43 are now placed adjacent to the elements 23, in a tilted fashion, and rotated so as to pass through the enlarged upper open portion 41 (see Figure 5) of opening 26 in the one plain transverse wall 18 at the lever end of the grid. The notch in the end 42 of links 43 straddles this plain transverse end wall 18 and the end 42 is prevented from becoming disengaged from plain transverse end wall 18 by its resting upon or bearing on the bottom horizontal wall part of the enlarged portion 41 of openings 26. Lever 46 carrying the two studs or pins 47 and 49 is now brought into position at the end of grid 15. The raised end portion 51 of each wall member 21 is sprung outwardly to permit the reduced ends of pin or stud 49 to enter suitable holes provided in this raised upper part 51 of members 21. The raised end portion .51 of each well member .21 then springs back into engagement with the legs 48 on lever 46 to lock the pin or stud 49 between members 21 and hold them stationary relative to one another. The final step of assembling parts of grid 15 together consists in placing the ends 44 of links 43 over the pin or stud 47 and riveting over the endsvof pin or, stud 47 tothereby secure the links .43 thereto. It is Operation The pan or tray with the grid structure disposed therein is filled with water, preferably to a normal water level at or slightlybelow the upper edges of tray 16,. and

placed in a freezing chamber, such as a compartment formed by walls of an evaporator of a refrigerating system associated with a household refrigerator cabinet,

until the water is hard-frozen. To harvest ice blocks from the ice block forming compartments provided by the cooperation of walls of grid 15 with walls of .tray 10, the device is removed from its freezing chamber and-then set upon a table or other supporting surface and the hand ,lever 46 operated to loosen all or less than all of theice blocks, as may be desired for use atthe time, from walls of thecompartments. When the lever 46 is swung upwardly it carries therewith pin or stud47, about the axis of pin or stud 49, which consequently lifts the pivoted end 44 of links 43 upwardly and movesthe links in a direction toward the lever end of the grid. The notched end 42 of links 43 pulls on-the upperpart of the plain transverse end wall 18 to tilt this wall relative to the stationary longitudinal wall members 21 and 22 toward the vertical. The initial tilting of the one plain transverse end wall 18 forces ice blocks .at the lever end of grid 15 against the inclined end wall 13 oftray {10 and causes the bond between all the ice blocks and the tray walls 11, 12, 13 and 14 to be broken whereupon the grid and iceblocks bonded thereto may be removed from tray 10. This continued pulling force is then also applied .by links 43, through the one plain transverse end wall 18, to the upper actuating element 23 and since these elements 23 are disposed above ice formed in the grid they are relatively easy to move. The first end transverse wall is the most difficult to move and since lever 46 and links 43 are above the level of ice blocks formed in the device all force obtained by the initial :upward swinging movement of lever 46 can be readily performed by a housewife without undue exertion. Upon removing grid .15 and ice blocks therein from tray 10 the corner ice blocks at the lever end of the grid, having been broken loose by the initial movement of lever 46, will fall away from the grid.

Movement of upper elements 23, upon swinging lever 46 beyond its initial movement to tilt the first or endmost cross wall 18, lengthwise of the stationary wall members 21 and 22 of the longitudinal partitions 16 and 17, causes the one differently spaced apart rear wall of each notch 39 to progressively engage and tilt other of the transverse walls 18 relative to walls 16 and 17 in succession or one after the other along the length of the grid toward the vertical to loosen all ice blocks from their compartment walls. Only a few of all of the ice blocks may be loosened from their compartment walls at one time merely by stopping the swinging movement of lever 46 whenever or at any position thereof desired. All loosened ice blocks, except the corner ice blocks at the lever end of grid 15 and the corner ice blocks at the opposite end of the grid, remain in the grid until they are pushed upwardly out of their respective compartments from beneath the grid. In the present disclosure the means for retaining loosened ice blocks in their re spective compartments in the central row of compartments includes the inclination of at least-a ,part of one of the longitudinal Walls -16 or 17- .outwardly from-theother.

from the bottom to an upper part thereof. Obviously this inclination of one .or both of the longitudinal walls relative to one another provides the central -.row of ice block forming compartments, between the longitudinal walls, with a smaller area at the'bottom relative to the top area thereof and prevents the central ice blocks from sliding out of the bottomof the grid. *In Figure 8 of the drawings I show ice blocks loosened from walls 'of the central row of ice block forming compartments retained in these compartments by'virtue of the difference in area between :the bottom and top thereof thus necessitating removal of the ice blocks-upwardly of the grid by handfrom beneaththe same. The loosened ice block retaining means for .theouter longitudinal rows of compartments in the present disclosure includes the tabs '29 on the transverse walls 18. Due to the inclined side edge of walls 18 cooperating with the inclined side walls 11 of tray 10 the outer-longitudinal rows of ice block forming compartments 19 are also of smaller area at their bottoms than the area at the top thereof. Thus tabs 29, being positioned under aportion of theiloosened ice blocks alongitheir outer side-surface,retain the blocks in both of the-outer rows of compartments in the grid structure (see Figure 2) untilthey are pushed upwardly of the grid from the under side :thereof at leastzabove-the tabs 29. After the walls are moved .relative to one another the construction of the grid is such that the various parts thereof are very loosely interlocked together and one or the other end of intermediate members .22 might slip out beyond the shoulder adjacent thereto on lower members 21. The locking means, provided by projection 36 and recess 37, .is so positioned that when the one forward plain'end cross wall 18 is tilted toward the vertical it is laterally adjacent thereto and prevents the intermediate members 22 from slipping out of the upright plane of lower members 21. Thus the loosely 'interlocked parts of the grid 15 do notseparate from one another during or after the moving operation of the grid walls to cause disassembly of the grid structure.

From the foregoing it should be apparent that I have provided an improved unitary rigid movable wall grid structure adapted to be removably disposed in a freezing tray. The features of construction of the improved grid include that of holding two 'or more longitudinal walls stationary with respect to one another while tilting trans verse walls relative thereto, inclining at least a portion of one longitudinal 'wall relative to an adjacent horizontally spaced longitudinal wall to retain ice blocks loosened in the center row of ice block forming compartments in :the grid structure until removed upwardly therefrom by hand and that of preventing locking means for certain Walls of the grid from becoming unlatched during or after moving certain walls of a grid relative to other walls thereof. Other features and advantages are derived from specific and novel structural arrangements incorporated in the presently disclosed grid construction such, for example, as the ease of manipulating the grid lever and the transverse wall actuating element by virtue of locating these elements entirely out of ice frozen in the grid and tray.

While the form of embodiment of the invention as herein disclosed constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted, as may come within the scope of the claims which follow.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A removable unitary grid structure for disposition in a freezing tray comprising, two substantially inflexible longitudinal walls and a plurality of substantially inflexible walls extending transversely thereacross in spaced apart relation therealong to provide three longitudinal rows of ice block forming compartments, said transverse walls being normally inclined with respect to the vertical and movably interlocked with each of said I longitudinal walls, a one-piece movable element extending along the top of each of said longitudinal walls continuously across and being interlocked with each of said transverse walls for progressively engaging and tilting them relative to said longitudinal walls toward the vertical, a level pivotally mounted upon said longitudinal walls at one end of the grid structure, said mounting of said lever to saidlongitudinal walls locking them together and holding them stationary relative to one another, a

first transverse wall without this initial force being transmitted to said one-piece movable elements, and said onepiece movable elemetns being unattached to said links and bodily shiftable lengthwise of said longitudinal walls solely through their interlocked connection with said first transverse wall by the tilting movement imparted thereto by said links upon continued swinging of said lever to thereafter tilt all other transverse walls of the grid one after another in succession.

2. A removable unitary grid structure for disposition in a freezing tray comprising, a plurality of horizontally :2

spaced apart longitudinal partitioning walls, a plurality of partitioning walls each extending transversely across said longitudinal walls in spaced apart relation therealong to provide three or more lonigtudinal rows of ice block forming compartments, means other than said transverse walls for holding said longitudinal partitioning walls stationary relative ot one another, said transverse walls being normally inclined with respect to the vertical and movably interlocked with said longitudinal walls, said transverse walls having a bottom edge terminating in the same up right plane therewith and side edges, means for engaging and tilting said transverse walls relative to said stationary longitudinal walls toward the vertical for enlarging said compartments and breaking a bond between ice blocks frozen therein and said partitioning walls whereby the ice blocks are loosened within said enlarged compartments, at least a portion of one of said plurality of longitudinal walls being inclined outwardly'away from an adjacent longitudinal wall in a direction from the bottom to the upper part thereof, the inclination of said portion of said one longitudinal wall preventing the loosened ice blocks within the one row of enlarged compartments between said one and said adjacent longitudinal walls from sliding downwardly out of said grid structure, and means on said side edges only of the transverse walls preventing the loosened ice blocks in the row of enlarged compartments beyond said one row thereof from sliding laterally relative to said inclined portion of said one longitudinal wall and serving, without the aid of additional means, to prevent the latter ice blocks from sliding downwardly out of said grid structure.

3. A removable unitary grid structure for disposition in a freezing tray comprising, two horizontally spaced apart longitudinal partitioning walls, a plurality of partitioning walls each extending transversely across said longitudinal walls in spaced apart relation therealong to E provide three longitudinal rows of ice block forming compartments, means other than said transverse walls extending between said longitudinal Walls and holding them stationary relative to one another, said transverse walls being normally inclined with respect to the vertical and movably interlocked with said longitudinal walls, said transverse walls having a bottom edge terminating in the same upright plane therewith and side edges, a lever pivotally mounted on said holding means for tilting said transverse walls relative to said stationary longitudinal walls toward the vertical for enlarging said compartments and breaking a bond between ice blocks frozen therein and said partiticning walls whereby the ice blocks are loosened within said enlarged compartments, at least a portion of one of said two longitudinal walls being inclined outwardly away from the other longitudinal wall in a direction from the bottom to the upper part thereof, the inclination of said portion of said one longitudinal wall preventing the loosened ice blocks within the row of enlarged compartments between said longitudinal walls from sliding downwardly out of said grid structure, and a retaining tab on said side edges only of the transverse walls for preventing the loosened ice blocks in the outer rows of enlarged compartments from sliding laterally relative to said inclined portion of the one longitudinal wall and serving, without the aid of additional means, to prevent the latter ice blocks from sliding downwardly out of said grid structure.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,894,127 Schmieding Jan. 10, 1933 2,169,180 Jacobs Aug. 8, 1939 2,187,083 Keiper Ian. 16, 1940 2,201,585 Keiper May 21, 1940 2,260,363 Carney Oct. 28, 1941 2,574,663 Sampson Nov. 13, 1951 2,622,410 Roberts Dec. 23, 1952 

